Caring for a newborn baby can be exciting, as well as stressful, especially in the first few months of a baby's life. Babies require lots of attention, as well as physical and support, which can be overwhelming and challenging, especially to first time parents and caretakers. Due to the fact that an infant's head is extremely large and heavy in relation to the rest of their body and an underdeveloped muscular structure, infants are not able to securely hold their own head up until about four months old and prior to that time, rely on their caretaker to do so for them. For instance, the caretaker must always ensure that the baby's head, neck, and back are supported and protected when performing activities, such as holding the baby, swaddling the baby, changing diapers, breast feeding, burping the baby, and bathing the baby.
New parents, other adults, or children may be uncomfortable holding or carrying a newborn baby due to their size and inability to support their head, neck, and back. Holding and carrying a baby normally requires two hands to ensure that the baby's head, neck, and back are properly supported. When both hands are used, other tasks or activities can be difficult to perform, such as preparing a bottle, attending to other children, answering the phone or door, as well as other activities.
Newborn babies usually feel most comfortable and secure when tightly wrapped or swaddled in a blanket. However, conventional blankets fail to provide any support for a baby and the individual holding the baby is still responsible for ensuring the baby's head is supported.
Accordingly, there remains a need for providing a supportive baby blanket to protect a baby's head, neck, and back during infancy.